Monster Lover
by 8D.XD.83
Summary: Yuri Lowell finds himself locked up in an asylum for reasons he can't understand. Whilst trying to escape, the outside world seems to fall apart. A new guild known as the 'Monster Lovers' have decided that monsters have rights too, and have been causing all sorts of problems for the new commandant. Set post-game. Fluri.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first time writing a story, so it may be a bit OOC. Oh and this is a yaoi/Fluri fic so, if you don't like this kind of stuff, it would be best to leave now. There might even be some Ristelle. This is unbetaed. Rated M for language and violence. I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he was there, he wasn't sure how much longer he would be there, he just hoped that it would all end soon. The young man rolled over onto his side, and reached one tired, pale, outstretched hand to touch the cold, dirty wall of the asylum. Why was he here? He couldn't remember. What had he done to deserve being put in this kind of place? Yuri Lowell, the young patient of the asylum, sighed and closed his eyes. To him, this hell was worse than prison. He would rather spend a month in prison than be here for a single day. Of course, he didn't belong here.

Did he?

Everyone else here was insane. As most in asylums, or any mental hospital were. But Yuri Lowell was not insane. Sure he made some questionable decisions sometimes, but was he insane? No. But then again, he couldn't remember how he had gotten here in the first place and no one would tell him why. Yuri thought back to what he had last remembered. He had just completed a guild mission, and decided to stay in the capital for a few days to catch up with Estelle and Flynn. 'Flynn's probably so busy that he hasn't even noticed I've gone missing.' Yuri though somewhat bitterly.

But then what happened? It had been a beautiful summer day. It wasn't too hot, the perfect weather for being outside. (Although Yuri was generally outside no matter what the weather). He had woken up, fed Repede, went downstairs to the inn to have breakfast. Everything seemed to be a normal day, almost as if the journey he set out on a year ago had never happened. Yuri remembered agreeing to play with Ted and the other children of the lower quarter, and then... He couldn't remember. No matter how much he wracked his brain for answers, they just wouldn't come back to him. He should have gone up to the castle to visit Estelle, as planned. But for some reason, that didn't happen.

Instead, Yuri woke up in this accursed place, he was strapped tightly to a washed cot, his mouth bound tightly shut by some rough cloth. The light was blinding and it took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. Everything in the room was white, the walls, ceiling, floor, even the cabinets and counters in the room where a sterile, blindingly bright white. Three doctors stood in the room, observing him. And of course, the doctors had to also be wearing all white. Two were male and one was a female. One of the male doctors was short and wore a pair of glasses. The other was tall and had gray hair; he looked to be somewhere in his 50's. The woman had her red hair pulled into a ponytail and was wearing a doctor's mask. Why the hell had these freaks kidnapped him!? And WHY was he strapped to a goddamn table!?

Yuri tried to break free, of course cursing at them as best he could through his muzzle. He tried to ask them where he was at and what did they want, but he could not form words through the cloth. More like muffled screaming. The doctors simply sighed, the two men glanced at each other while the blonde clicked her tongue in disapproval. This, threw Yuri even deeper into rage, and fueled his efforts of escape. He could take these losers. If he could get out of the bonds that tied him to the table in the first place. What were these things made of anyway?

The younger man carefully approached him and pulled a syringe out of his bleached white pockets. "Oh hell no you are not putting that thing in my arm!" Yuri tried to scream. Of course it came out muffled and the doctors just stared at him with blank emotionless expressions. The doctor pushed the needle int Yuri's arm and extracted a fair amount of blood. But, due to Yuri's thrashing the syringe was yanked from the doctor's grip and fell to the floor with loud 'clink'. "Is it broken?" the blonde asked. "No, it's fine." the other said, picking up the syringe.

The syringe filled with the dark crimson liquid looked odd against the all white background. In fact, as far as Yuri could see it was the only colored thing in the room. "I guess he really is insane. This entire time he hasn't stopped trying to kill us," the older doctor commented mundanely, as if the fact that someone trying to kill him was an everyday occurrence, "We'll just have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try anything".

Yuri stopped struggling. Obviously this was getting him nowhere. He needed to get answers. "What the hell are you talking about!?" Yuri tried to ask again.

"It's okay now." the woman said, suddenly putting on a fake smiling face. Or what Yuri assumed was a smile, behind her medical mask. "Everything's going to be all right just relax for a while."

Suddenly the woman reached for a syringe on the table, this one already filled with something. Yuri started struggling again. It wasn't that he feared needles or anything, but what was probably IN the needle was not good. "You're just going to take a little nap, and when you wake up you'll feel much better, I promise!" the woman cooed in an overly sweet, sugar coated voice.

"Yeah right, like hell I'm going to let you fucking inject me with whatever the hell's in that stupid-" and before Yuri could carry on with his attempted screaming, the syringe was plunged into his arm, and none too gently.

Yuri's vision began to blur and his limbs began to feel numb. It was as if his bones had turned to jelly and there was a crushing weight on him. 'I swear that when I get out of here I'm going to...'

The older doctor glanced at the others, "See? What did I tell you? This one is hostile. I suggest putting him in solitary confinement for a while, until we can further investigate him".

The other doctors nodded and muttered their agreement. And so, Yuri was sedated, for easy transferring. And so he was moved to solitary confinement.

* * *

And the next time he woke up he was in solitary confinement. His head was throbbing. He couldn't remember where he was at. Eventually it came to him. An... asylum? But why? More importantly, how was he going to get out? He was tied up by some odd shirt thing- a straitjacket. His legs were tied to the bars at the end of the cot. This time Yuri's mouth was not covered. "Those bastards..." he growled. "Hey! Is anybody there!?" He tried to call out. Instead his voice was absorbed by the walls.

Once again he was surrounded by plain white walls. Yuri glanced down at the mat that he was laying on. This one was not clean. Instead it was covered in dark stains. It smelled awful, like old sweat, blood and urine. Actually, when he looked closely, Yuri noticed that the plain room was not as clean as it first appeared. Every surface in the room was covered in some sort of grime. The whole room seemed kind of dingy, in a way. The smell was the worst. The room smelled of old bodily fluids, sweat, rotting meat and odd medications. Although some people would have been upset by these conditions, they did little more than irk Yuri. "All I have to do is get free of these restraints." he muttered, trying to wiggle free.

For what seemed an eternity Yuri struggled against the straitjacket that confined him. And all he got as a reward for his struggle to escape was chaffing and bruising of his skin from his constant rubbing. The skin around the area of the straitjacket and the bonds that held his legs had turned a an irritated red color. It was almost turning purple. When he saw the first signs of blood dripping down his ankle he stopped. This was getting him nowhere. The bonds were no looser and he was no closer to freedom. But worse than that was the embarrassment of being confined and unable to escape. Yuri had always been able to escape, but now...

But after Yuri tired from his escape attempt, questions began to fill his mind.

Why am I here?

What happened?

When will they let me go?

Will they let me go?

Why can't I remember?

And perhaps, the most troubling thought of all, What if I belong here? An odd feeling crept into his stomach. He couldn't remember anything. What if he had gone mad? What if he had hurt someone? Or worse, what if he had killed someone? Yuri had killed someone before, two people actually. 'But those two weren't people, they were monsters. If I hadn't killed them, they would have ended up hurting even more people.' he told himself. 'But what if they were innocents...'

No, he had to stop those kinds of thoughts. He'd never get out of here if he convinced himself that he was insane. Which he wasn't.

It had been, although he did not know it at the time, a week since he had last seen his friends, or anyone he knew for that matter. But the time had seemed an eternity for the swordsman. He was a man of action. And sitting in a padded room was pure hell for him. But he had to get out! He had to figure out what the hell was going on. Could he really break free this time by his one physical strength?

There was more that one way to skin a cat. Wouldn't the asylum have to release him if he showed 'improved' mental well being? Yuri ground his teeth together. He didn't want to. He did SO not want to. But there wasn't much of a choice. So, he decided that for the time being, he had to behave himself and do as others told him. But as long as he could get out of that room, he would do almost anything.

And after three days, Yuri was granted his wish. He was moved to a single white room. In this room he could move around freely, but could not leave the room. A far cry from freedom, but better than before.

So that was where Yuri layed now, in his small isolated room. The room held only a few things. There was a bed in one corner, a toilet in another. In the center of the room there was an old rickety looking table with two mismatched chairs to go along with it. There was a window high above him, to let in some light, but not only were the windows out of his reach but they were barred (otherwise he would have escaped long ago). There was even a dresser with some spare clothes in it, a couple of hospital gowns that were a retched pink color. The clothes he normally wore were gone. (He swore he would kill whoever put him in here, just because of those damned awful hospital gowns). But there was one thing in the room that he just couldn't understand what it was. It wa a big, black, glass square in the middle of the  
wall, opposite of the window. The glass was thick, and could not be broken (he tried). It seemed out of place in the otherwise pure white room. The surface of the glass was almost reflective.

So here Yuri was, plotting an escape, trying to remember what had happened and waiting for dinner. His stomach growled again. "Ugh... I'm starving." he grumbled to himself.

After a while, someone opened the door and it swung open with a loud screeching sound. Two people entered, neither of them were the ones that he had met before. One was a tall muscular man, armed with a sword. The other was a doctor with thick rimmed glasses and a rather large nose. 'Well, there goes my plan about ambushing these guys and getting out right now.' Yuri thought bitterly as he glanced at the guard. If Yuri was armed himself he could probably have won in a fight. But, alas, he was not.

"Ah, Yuri! It's good to see that you're doing better." the doctor said in a nasally voice.

"How the hell am I doing better? I'm in a freaking asylum." Yuri said pointedly.

"Well, you're no longer in solitary confinement." the doctor pointed out.

"Just tell me what the hell I'm doing here!"

The doctor pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled in an odd way. "You're here to recover and feel better again, buddy".

"What the hell does that mean!? I'm fine! And don't call me buddy, or I'll-"

The guard in the back of the room stepped forward and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Yuri bit his lip. 'I just need to hold it together long enough to get answers...' he told himself. 'Maybe I should try a different angle...'

"How long until I get out of here?" Yuri asked instead.

"Hmm... well, that's up for the specialist to decide. We'll be monitoring you to decide whether or not your behavior is a threat to those around you. Until you can cool that head of yours, I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get better really soon." the doctor said, his smile never leaving.

"What's supposed to be wrong with me?!"

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to tell you much more that I already have. Just use this as a time to relax."

"Relax!? How the hell am I supposed to relax when I'm being held against my will in... wherever the hell this is?" Yuri growled, balling his hands into tight fists, using all of his willpower to not punch this guy in the face.

"How about some dinner... you must be hungry." the doctor said, completely changing the subject.

Yuri didn't say anything. All he could do was stare icily at the man across from him. "I'll bring your dinner." doctor said, leaving the room. The guard did not go with him.

"Hey, it's rude to stare you know!" Yuri said, glaring back at the huge man.

The man just returned his stare emotionless. 'I just want out of here...' Yuri mumbled to himself.

* * *

Alright, so that's the end of part one! There aren't many other characters in the story yet, but there will be soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry if it took me a long time to upload this. I have a problem from going from paper to typing... But, here's chapter two!**

* * *

Estelle was starting to worry. Everyone was. Yuri had gone missing, and had been missing for several days now. No one knew where he went. He was last seen leaving the lower quarter and that was it. It was as if the earth had opened up and swallowed him. No one had any clues or leads on where he went. Yuri surely wouldn't just leave without telling anyone would he?

Estelle closed the book she was trying to read and set it on her desk. She just couldn't focus knowing that something terrible could have happened to her friend. But what could she do? Flynn already had several knights out looking for him. Estelle wanted to look to but no one would allow her to. Everyone thought that it was too dangerous for a princess to go out and search for Yuri herself. Of course Estelle didn't care that it was dangerous.

'I just have to get out of the castle without anyone noticing, and then I can go search for Yuri.' she thought.

Of course that was easier said than done. Although no one said anything about it, Estelle could tell that the amount of guards watching her were increased. 'Even after I helped save the world, people still think I need to be protected! I guess there's no way to show them that I can take care of myself...'

Estelle wished that she could contact Rita. Rita was still doing some research on the new substance that fueled the world, mana. Rita would be able to figure out what happened. She was so smart, she probably could have solved this entire mystery by now. For some reason Estelle just had this feeling that Rita would make everything just seem better. Someone to talk to might also be a great help.

Of course any of Estelle's friends would be a much appreciated help right now, but they hadn't be reached yet. They had taken a new mission somewhere in the dunes of Desier. Estelle hadn't seen Judith, Raven or Karol in a few months. "What would they do if Yuri went missing? Maybe they would just wait for Yuri to turn up on his own? Or would they try and go after him?" the princess wondered aloud.

The guards were annoying. Estelle couldn't even walk down to the library without an escort of at least two knights. How would she get out of the castle without anyone noticing her? She had to find Yuri! Estelle glanced out her window. It was cloudy out. Threatening to rain.

There was a loud crashing noise in Estelle's bedroom. She started. "Hello?" She called out. No one replied. Estelle went to peer in the room to see that it was only Repede. "Oh, you scared me!" Estelle said, relieved to see that the companion had only knocked over a tall stack of books. She had forgotten that she was keeping Repede with her. After Yuri disappeared there was no one to take care of Repede. And much to the warrior dog's chagrin, he had been left in the care of someone who he was not particularly fond of.

Repede gave the girl a distasteful look. "What? It's not like I left the books there on purpose!" Estelle said, feeling she needed to justify having left the books out. Repede barked a few times, as if trying to say something. He probably WAS saying something, it's just that Estelle couldn't understand. "I'm sorry... I know you just want to find Yuri. I want to find him to! After all, he hasn't tried the cookies I made yet. They're probably stale by now though..."

If a dog could sigh, that's what Repede did as he walked past Estelle into the main room of her suite. "What is it?" She tried to ask. Repede sat in front of the window and looked at Estelle and then back at the window. "You... want me to open the window? But it's raining out..."

Repede pushed his paws against the panes of glass as if intending to open the window himself. "Alright... I'll open it." Estelle said, not exactly sure if that was what Repede wanted. It was, because as soon as she had opened the window he jumped out. "REPEDE!" Estelle shouted. They were on the third floor! How the heck did he intend to land?! Estelle waited for a moment before glancing out the window, afraid that her friend would just be a pile of fur on the ground outside. But instead there he sat, looking up at the girl expectantly. "Oh thank goodness... I was really worried there for a second." Estelle muttered.

After a minute of staring at each other, Estelle finally realized what Repede wanted. "You want me to jump down too?! But how am I supposed to get down? It's so high up!" She called out.

Well it was certainly one way out. If Estelle could somehow make it out of the window alive, she would be free. But if not, she would probably break at least a few limbs. She thought for a bit. There was a window directly bellow this one, and it had a ledge. Maybe she could drop down to that ledge, and then she could jump? "Well, it's worth a shot, if it means I could end up helping Yuri." she said aloud.

Yuri jumped out of windows all the time. In fact, it seemed to be his preferred method for entering and leaving the castle. But then again, he always was more nimble than Estelle. "Don't think about it, just do it. Don't think about it, just do it..." Estelle repeated again and again, trying to prepare herself for the drop. If Yuri could do it, so could she. Estelle carefully swung her legs out the first window. Now she had to drop down to the ledge below.

But as she shifted her weight she slipped off the window sill that had become slick with rain. She screamed as she plummeted to the ground below. The princess landed with a loud thud. After a few seconds she began to pull herself up. It didn't FEEL like she had broken any bones... But she definitely bruised her torso pretty badly. Estelle grimaced and cast first aid on herself. Almost immediately the pain began to recede and the skin knit itself back together.

It hurt, but Estelle was outside. She could find Yuri. "Alright! Now I just have to make sure I don't get caught by any guards either!" Estelle said, as a feeling of excitement welled up inside of her, "But where do I look first?".

Repede barked, as if he knew exactly what she had asked and ran off. "Hey! Wait for me!" Estelle called out, having to run to catch up. But Estelle didn't mind because they were going to find their friend and that was all that mattered.

* * *

The young commandant placed his finished report in its pile. He sighed. He would have to work overtime at this rate. In fact he was probably going to work several hours of overtime. He sighed. Only 134 assignments to go.

It was all Yuri's fault, too. Well, okay it wasn't ALL his fault. Ever since Flynn's best friend had gone missing, he just couldn't concentrate on work. He'd much rather be out looking for Yuri than sitting cooped up at his desk. But simple field missions just weren't what the commandant did. Basic missing persons were searched for by the knights, maybe a detective if their family could afford it. Of course when Flynn did get free time he spent it searching but the longer he waited, the greater the chance that-

No, he couldn't think like that. Yuri was okay and would probably show up on his own.

Flynn's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He quickly straightened out his uniform before calling out, "Come in".

Two people entered. One was Flynn's second-in-command Sodia. The second was a man that Flynn did not young man had pale blonde hair, so pale that it appeared white. The man wore wizard's robes, but not the uniform outfits of the empire's mages. Instead he wore something that had looked like it had come from Dahngrest. He also wore thick rimmed glasses that fit snugly around his large nose.

"Sir, the leader of the new guild was sent to meet with you." Sodia said, glancing uneasily at the young man.

"The... new guild?" Flynn asked in confusion. He had never heard there was a new guild. At least not one that wished to speak with him.

"Yes, I'm Wisp. Leader and founder of the Monster's Rights guild." the young man said in a very nasally sounding voice.

Flynn stared at the man, dumbfounded. "Monster's... Rights guild?", he repeated. This guy was joking, right?

"Yes. I wished to speak with you about the... horrendous abuse and mistreatment of the local fauna. Also about the pointless slaughter of innocent creatures." Wisp said, stepping closer to the commandant's desk.

The horrible slaughter of monsters?! Flynn couldn't believe. Now even the monsters had people standing up for them, and yet the lower quarter barely stood up for itself. What was next, a group of people that opposed the slaughter of trees? "Well, I am sorry..." the knight said, trying his best to sound as polite as possible "But I'm afraid the treatment of monsters is not very high on my list of concerns right now..."

In fact, he couldn't think of anything that was LOWER on his list of concern than monster rights. "That's just it!" Wisp said, suddenly shouting, "You humans get upset if even one of your kind is murdered, injured or even slightly inconvenienced by the majestic beasts that are this planet's non-sentient beings! But, if an entire horde of baby monsters are ruthlessly slaughtered for the mere sport of human amusement and convenience no one gives a damn!"

The man slammed his hands down on Flynn's desk while Flynn jumped back in surprise. Was he serious? Flynn couldn't tell. 'This is probably just some elaborate joke," Flynn thought, "Yeah... this has to be a joke".

"Sir, I am afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" Sodia said, reaching for her sword.

The man slowly pried his hands of the desk and took a couple of shaky breaths. "You haven't seen the last of me- No, the last of us. We're growing in numbers, and one day, we will have the respect we deserve! Us and the monsters!"

"I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about." Flynn admitted.

"Sure, go ahead and laugh! Everyone does... they all laugh. Always mocking us and our hopes. Our dreams... But one day, the ruthless killing of monsters will stop. You'll see!" the man muttered, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "JUST YOU WAIT!" was the last thing he shouted before striding out of the room.

After a long moment of awkward silence, Flynn glanced at his second-in-command. "Who was that?"

"I believe he said his name was 'Wisp', sir." Sodia replied.

"This is ridiculous. There are hundreds of people suffering in the lower classes of this city alone and he's concerned about the monsters?"

"Well actually, sir," Sodia said giving him a serious look, "I believe that this new guild already has a few dozen members."

"A few dozen?!" Flynn repeated in shock.

"Well, actually, 83 members to be exact, sir. I believe that only 30 of them came to visit Zaphias. The rest of them are still in Dahngrest."she said.

The commandant felt the beggining of a headache coming "This has to be some kind of a joke right? They can't actually think that the monsters are... like people... right?"

"I wish I could say it was a joke, sir. But this is quickly growing to become one of the most prominent around." Sodia replied.

Flynn gave a dry chuckle. "I suppose I am going to have to treat them with respect if I wish to keep good terms with the union aren't I?"

"I suppose so, sir."

After a moment of silence Flynn looked at his subordinate "If that is all Sodia, you may leave." He said.

Sodia glanced out the window avoiding Flynn's gaze. "If you don't mind me asking sir... Are you alright?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine." Flynn said, although he did not feel all that fine.

"It's just that, sir you always act like this when Lowell disappears." Sodia shifted from foot to foot. She hated that vagrant, she really did. All he did was cause trouble for the commandant and cause him to act strangely. But every time he disappeared, her commander became very worried. So much so that he had the appearance that he had fallen ill.

The last time he had disappeared had been Sodia's fault. Everytime the knight thought about the events at Zaude she felt a small pang of guilt. Sodia remembered drawing her knife with a sudden flash of rage and plunging the knife into the other's abdomen. He had stumbled backwards and plunged off the tower. She had nearly killed him. It was a miracle he survived. 'And while he deserved it, it's not my place to judge his punishment'.

Even though Sodia had a strong dislike for Yuri, she hopped he would at least turn up just long enough for Flynn to revert to his normal self.

"I really just can't focus well on my work when he's missing." Flynn admitted.

"If you don't mind me suggesting, you should take a few personal days and sort things out, sir. I can handle things here."

"No, I shouldn't." Flynn said hastily, before adding, "I mean... things have become kind of hectic around here lately. I guess though... I could take one afternoon off."

"I'll take care of things here, sir."

Flynn smiled. "Okay, thank you. You're a lifesaver. I can't tell you how much this has been bugging me. I'm sure Yuri would be grateful, too."

Sodia stiffened, "I'm not doing this for HIM. I just think you need a break for a while."

As soon as Flynn finished his signature at the bottom of the last paper he was working on he jumped up from his desk and left. He was uneasy at first; he never liked to let anyone do his work for him, but he trusted his second in command.

'Where should I search first?' Flynn wondered, 'The people in the lower quarter are already looking for him... But I could check his room. That's what I'll do. I'll check his room first.'

* * *

**End of chapter 2. Man, this took a lot longer to upload than I had hoped for... sorry.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright! Finally ready for chapter 3?**

* * *

Yuri glared at the pure white ceiling above him. He knew everything about this room, he was sure of it.

It held twenty-four tiles. Six across, four wide. The floor, the floor gad forty-two tiles. seven across, six wide. The window had three panes, all next to each other. One bedside the other, one, two, three. All the same size.

The mismatch chairs where by far the most fascinating objects in the room. One was made of worn brown leather that would stick to your skin if you sat in it for two long. And the other was made of dull, splintery wood. What was worse was it had one uneven leg, the back one, on the left. So that when you sat on it, you tilted backwards.

And the table, the little square table, barely big enough for two people to sit at it had a notch in its wood. Just a tiny one, on the side facing the bed, on the underside of the table of the framework was this tiny, itsy-bitsy, little notch, no bigger than Yuri's pinkie finger's nail.

It was so subtle, but such a discovery had been the high point of Yuri's day.

He had to get out of there. And fast.

"I'm going to go crazy from just being in here" Yuri mumbled.

It was ironic, that one could go crazy in an asylum, having been sane before.

The worst part of it all was , the doctor with the big nose and the thick lensed glasses. "He always comes in here with that fake smile of his, acting like he's an old friend of yours like he knows everything about you. But what kind of friend has a guard following them around, ready to lop your head off at any second?" Yuri mumbled to himself.

And as if on cue, the door of the room screeched open, and in stepped Dr. Wilfred with said smile plastered on his face. Another guard followed the man into the room but instead of a smile he gave Yuri and icy scowl. "Yuri! How have you been doing?" the doctor asked, as if they had just run into each other unexpectedly in town.

Yuri smirked, feeling nothing but anger towards the man "Never been better." he spat sarcastically.

"That's good to hear." Dr. Wilfred said, either not detecting the sarcasm or ignoring it.

"Today's a very special day for you. Today you get to..."

"Finally get out of here?" He said, though figuring that was far from the truth.

"No, you get to go to the recreation room! Isn't that exciting?" the doctor smiled and clasped his hands together. "Now come along".

Yuri contemplated disobeying the doctor. He HATED doing what people said. But if he went with the doctor this would be an opportunity to stretch his legs... and look for a chance to escape. "Alright. Let's go." Yuri said, getting of the cot slowly. It had been a while since he had moved.

"Good. Now just follow me." Dr. Wilfred said in a voice that one might use to coaxe a small kitten or puppy to them.

Yuri ground his teeth together, contemplating the consequences of busting the man's nose in. It would probably only take one swing. And he would look a lot better afterwards. But in the end, Yuri followed the man out of the room, the guard following behind him. Very closely behind him. Too close.

"Can you ease up a bit? I'm sure you can keep a better eye on me from back there." the raven haired man said with a smirk.

"Why you-" the guard started to reply before he was interrupted by Wilfred.

"Now, now, just give our friend here some space." he said, barely turning around.

The guard complied and took a couple steps away from Yuri, clearly displeased.

The rest of the walk the three were silent. Screams could be heard from the distance. Blood curdling screams. Yuri wondered vaguely if the screams were from someone being tortured or from having gone mad. 'I kind of want to scream myself' he thought.

Yuri tried to look for any signs that he could escape, but the place was well guarded. All of the walls were made of solid cinder blocks and all of the windows were barred. The place might as well have been a prison.

But what might have been the worst part of it all might have been the awful draft. Cold air rushed up the hospital gown, and in the gap in the back. 'Do girls really wear dresses like this?' he wondered, 'I mean, I can feel the breeze all the way up my-"

"We're here!" Dr. Wilfred suddenly shouted joyfully, swinging open the door. "This is the recreation center. This is were we can monitor and evaluate your development here.

Yuri glanced around the room. There were only three other patients there, all of the male. Two of them seemed dreadfully bored and were making small conversation with each other. The third was focused very intensely on what he was doing. They were all sitting at a table painting something with there bare fingers.

"Finger-painting?" Yuri said in confusion.

"Yes, it is very soothing for the mind and soul." Dr. Wilfred almost whispered, smiling blissfully.

Yuri knew what finger-painting was, but had never done so himself. Things like parchment or paper was very expensive. In fact, one would be lucky if they could even find a piece of paper in the lower quarter where he grew up. Letting a kid or adult go wild messing up some expensive papyrus was insane to him.

It slowly dawned on Yuri where he might be. "Are we in the Royal Quarter?" Yuri suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Where the hell is this building located!?" he asked harsher.

The doctor pursed his lips together. "Oh, I don't know... It's not really the royal quarter. It's more like the upper part of the public quarter. I mean, I'm flattered that you think our facility is so nice as to be in the royal quarter, but we are not so grande."

Yuri sighed. "Great, so not only am I stuck in here with a bunch of doctoral freaks but also insane nobles. Just wonderful." he mumbled.

"Well, take a seat. You don't want to waste an hour you coukd spend painting talking to me, do you?" Dr. Wilfred said, motioning for Yuri to sit at the table.

Yuri grudgingly sat at the table. The two whispering to each other barely spared the newcomer a glance and the third didn't seem to notice him at all.

"Not a friendly bunch are you?" Yuri muttered, glancing at his fellow patients.

One of the doctors of the other patient walked up to Dr. Wilfred and whispered something. Dr. Wilfred nodded and the other headed out of the room.

"Do you need some help getting started? You haven't painted anything yet." Dr. Wilfred said, walking over to Yuri.

"No, I just don't want to mess up my good looks by getting paint all over myself." he gave the doctor a look filled with hatred, "Leave me alone".

"Now that doesn't sound like someone who's ready to interact with others. In fact, someone may need to revist solitary confinement." Wilfred said, in his same happy, light tone.

"Is that a threat? Hey, painting's just not my thing. Do I HAVE to like painting?"

"Have you ever tried painting before?" Wilfred asked.

Damn. He had him there. Yuri had never so much as even touched paint. There had been a time when he helped repaint the inn, but even that didn't go well. The inn keeper told him to go make dinner instead after about ten minutes.

"Well, not really. But I hate art. I just don't see thr point." Yuri mumbled.

"Try it." Wilfred said insistently.

Yuri had a feeling that if he went along with it, the doctor might leave him alone. And if he didn't he might end up in his room again, or worse... "Fine". Yuri grabbed a sheet of paper a poured the entire jar of globby blue paint on the square.

"That's a creative way to start." Dr. Wilfred said smiling even brighter.

'Can he not detect sarcasm!?' It seemed he could not.

Just as Yuri was about to hesitantly poke the blob the door opened again. In stepped the doctor who had left earlier with a new patient. Yuri's jaw dropped open. "No way..." he muttered when he saw who the patient was, "It's..."

* * *

Estelle followed the racing dog down a street of the royal quarter. "Hey Repede, wait up!" the princess called after him.

The rain poured down on the cobblestone streets, making the stones slippery and hard to walk on. The rain seemed to come down harder the more the princess ran. Nobles and servants of the nobles cast the pair odd looks. 'Oh my, look over there.' 'What is with all the noise?' 'Is that the princess?' There were few people out because of the rain, but still several people saw the running duo.

Once they were out of the royal quarter, Estelle felt better. There was a better chance that because there were more people in the public quarter she would be harder to spot, if only by a little bit. She was the princess after all and that did tend to make her famous. But because there were more people in the public quarter Estelle would bump into people, always trying to quickly apologize while keeping up with Repede.

Repede only stopped running once he reached the lower quarter, sniffing around on the ground, looking for something. Estelle slowed her running to a sudden halt, gasping for air. A familiar face walked over to her while she was catching her breath. "Well well, if it isn't the princess herself! We must be lucky to have two members of the upper class visit us in one day." the old man said with a chuckle.

Estelle immediately recognized him, "Hanks!", she cried out, "It's good to see you. Have you seen Yuri?"

"No, we still haven't seen him. He'll show up, he always does." Hanks said, as if Yuri disappearing was an everyday occurance. It probably was.

"I'm just so worried about him! And Repede really misses him, too. In fact, Repede is the one who lead me here." Estelle said, clasping her rain-soaked gloved together. It was only then that she noticed how wet she had gotten.

"Shame on you Yuri, for giving everyone so much heartache... wherever you are." Hanks said, shaking his head.

Ever since Yuri was a little boy he had caused trouble for people. He always tried to do the right thing but he was hotheaded and would act on instinct. It was a wonder he lived to be as old as he was.

"Oh, but did you say that I was the second upper-class person to visit today?" Estelle asked suddenly.

Hanks opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything a certain voice filled the air behind them.

"Lady Estellise, please return to the castle at once!"

Estelle spun around, surprised. "Oh Flynn, it's just you," Estelle said, sighing in relief at the sight of the commandant, "For a minute there I thought you were one of the mean knights that would stop me from looking for Yuri."

"Lady Estellise, it's too dangerous, please allow me to escort you back to the castle."

"No! I'm going to look for Yuri. Repede is too. And I've already told you that just calling me Estelle is fine."

"Hey, weren't you looking for Yuri too? The two of you can look together. Just don't break anything while your at it." Hanks said, starting to mumble something about how there were enough broken things already.

A look of concern suddenly crossed the young knight's face and he seemed to forget Estelle for the moment. "Hanks, why are you outside anyways? It's raining pretty hard, you might catch a cold." he said, concern lacing his voice.

"Now I don't need a youngin like yourself worrying about me. A little rain never killed nobody. Besides, it rains in my house too, the roof's got so many damned holes in it." Hanks grumbled, clearly not liking having people worry about him.

"Hanks..." Flynn said, his worry only deepening.

It was obvious that the people if the lower quarter were suffering more lately. After all the blastia were destroyed, more money had to be spent on everything. So, the people were taxed even more. People of the lower quarter probably couldn't afford to do things like fix the holes in their rooves. It made Flynn worry. He wanted to change things like this! He really did; but people were still suffering, horribly.

"Now I know that look on your face." Hanks said, seeing that Flynn was once again blaming himself for something out of his control, "Don't waste your time feeling guilty. Just go out and help your friend. The sooner this whole mess is resolved, the sonner I can have some peace."

"Your right." Flynn said, realizing he had gotten side tracked, "I have to find Yuri."

"I'll help!" Estelle said, with renewed energy.

"Good luck, then!" Hanks said walking off.

"Lady Estellise, are you sure-"

"Well if you're not going to let me help you look for Yuri! Then me and Repede will conduct our own search! Even though our combined efforts would more likely lead us to fruition." Estelle said with a pouring look on her face. Why dud Flynn always have to be so difficult?

But Flynn was barely listening anymore, his eyes scanning the area around them. Except for the two of them, not a living thing could be seen in the area that was the center of the lower quarter. "Um, Lady Estellise, did you say you had Repede with you?"

"Yes, he right here-" Estelle said. But as she turned around to point at him she realised her companion was long gone. "Oh no. Uh, Repede!? Repede-!" she called out, where are you!?"

"He couldn't have gone too far." Flynn pointed out.

"But Repede can't go missing too! He seemed like he was on to something!" Estelle said.

"Was he? You don't think he just went back to Yuri's room?"

"I don't know. We should check there!"

"Alright, we'll go look. I still have the extra key the landlady lent to me. But Lady Estellise, if for whatever reason it suddenly becomes dangerous, promise me thst you'll return to the castle at once." Flynn said, seemingly still determined to protect Estelle at all costs.

"I'll be fine. Especially with you here." Estelle said.

And with that, the two climbed up the narrow wooden stairs to Yuri's room. The rain was letting up and the sun had started to come out. Despite this, the two were still drenched from head to toe. "Maybe we should dry off first, before we go into to Yuri's room and get it dirty" Estelle said as Flynn unlocked the door.

"Don't worry. It really can't get any dirtier. But you can return to the castle and change your clothed, if you'd like." Flynn said, stepping into the tiny room.

"Nevermind..." Estelle muttered.

After looking around for a bit, neither found Repede. "I guess it's only logical. I mean the door WAS locked." Flynn muttered, feeling somewhat embarrassed.  
"I still wouldn't be suprised if Repede had somehow managed to get in though. He's really smart." Estelle said.

Water slowly dripped from the duo's clothes and fell to the rotting floor. The sight reminded Flynn vaguely of how Yuri would never dry his hair after he showered, always making a wet mess on the floor. He felt a pang of regret inside his chest. 'What if I never see Yuri again? Maybe I was too harsh on him.' a tiny voice in his head whispered.

The knight whook his head, trying to keep his thoughts clear. "Flynn? Are you alright? You zoned out again." Estelle said.

Had she been talking? "Oh, my apologies Lady Estellise. I was just thinking, that's all."

"I was just saying that I can't find any clues in here or anything."

"Yeah, I couldn't either".

"But what do we do now?" Estelle asked, "Should we try and contact Brave Vesperia again? They might be able to-"

The princess was interrupted when she heard a series loud barks followed by Repede running into the room.

"Repede you're back!" Estelle shouted with joy, "Where did you go?"

Repede ignored the girl and walked over to Flynn dropping a large katana at his feet. Repede sat down and looked expectantly at his master's best friend.  
Flynn reached down and picked up the blade. "Hey, this is Yuri's sword!" he exclaimed after examining it.

There was no doubt about it, with the worn handle and somewhat battered sheath. The blade itself was in top condition, freshly polished. "Where'd you find that? Can you take us to Yuri?" Estelle asked, wondering if the dog could understand her.

"Please take us to where you found this sword." Flynn said.

Repede turned around and walked out of the room, looking to see if the humans were following him. They were.

"Do you think this will lead us to Yuri" Estelle asked.

"I hope so," the commandant said as he followed the warrior dog.

* * *

**This is the end of Chapter 3. And we are left with a cliffhanger! Thanks for reading.**


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